Chrism Eucharist: Thursday 28 March

It will not be long now before I am welcoming all of you to the Cathedral on Maundy Thursday 28 March, at 1100hr as we gather to celebrate the Chrism Eucharist with the Blessing of the Holy Oils and the renewal of our commitment to diaconal, priestly and episcopal service, as well as the re-commitment of all the baptized to mission. This common celebration is one of the chief points of diocesan life, so please make it a priority for your diaries.

All licensed and commissioned lay ministers and all members of our congregations are very welcome in addition to all clergy, serving and retired, to help to make the Chrism Eucharist a genuinely diocesan service.  I like the invitation to be as wide as possible, and it would be good if shared ministry teams could include the wider circle of lay ministers and PTO clergy in their invitations.

Lunch will follow and will be served in the south transept. It will take the form of a hot main course followed by pudding, provided, as usual, by Marc Macauley Caterers.

Please would clergy and lay people intending to be present register with their Mission Area Administrators.   MAAs have been provided with a pro forma to return to Esgobty no later than Tuesday 19 March so that we have an accurate idea of numbers for catering, etc.  There will be meat and vegetarian options for the meal, and any other dietary requirements should be notified when registering.

• Those robing will be able to do so in the North Transept (clergy: alb/cassock & surplice with white stole; Readers: cassock, surplice & scarf) prior to taking their places. Other lay licensed ministers may use the cross with which they were invested at their licensing.
• When robed, please take your seat in the nave as directed by the stewards.
• At the end of the service, please remain in your places while the Bishop’s altar party processes through the West doors, after which those with clerical and lay licensed ministries are invited to join the procession for a photograph in the area outside the Cathedral. Please remain robed for this.

Patronal Festival of St Asaph

There will be a special celebration of the Holy Eucharist to celebrate our diocesan patron Asaph on Saturday 4 May, in the Cathedral at 11.00hr.  We will be joined by Bishop Barry Morgan, former Archbishop of Wales, as our guest preacher.  I encourage the Teulu Asaph to come together for this service of thanksgiving for the inheritance of faith we have received and to pray for our ongoing service and mission in Asaph’s name.

During the Eucharist there will be an opportunity for us to celebrate aspects of our common life together. In particular, I would like to invite those who are celebrating a significant Ordination anniversary during 2024 to join me for this special celebratory Eucharist– anniversaries such as 25 years and the subsequent ‘0’ or ‘5’ anniversaries thereafter.  If you have a special anniversary this year that you would like to celebrate then please contact Esgobty as soon as possible and no later than 19 April.

Hwyl a Helo

I am pleased to announce that Alex Mayes has been appointed the Mission Area Leader for the new Mission Area of Deeside.  Borderlands Mission Area is currently our largest mission area in the diocese and Standing Committee has approved the wish of the mission area to be split in two.  Alex will be responsible for the Deeside churches and further details of her counterpart in the other half of Borderlands will be announced in due course.

It is good to welcome Adrian Johnson to the cohort of stipendiary clergy in the diocese.  Since his appointment as NSM Assistant Curate in Bryn a Mor Mission Area last year, Adrian has been developing his ministry there and it will be good to see him available on a full time basis from the beginning of May.

Canon Tudor Hughes has indicated his wish to retire in the summer.  Tudor has given exemplary service to the diocese for the whole of his ministry in his churches, as Diocesan Youth Chaplain, as Canon Sacrist of the Cathedral and in so many other ways.  We wish him every blessing in retirement when he steps back from ministry at the end of June.

I am sorry to announce that Jane Finn will be leaving the diocese in April after a short time with us in Denbigh Mission Area.  We wish her well in her new appointment at Aberdaron in the Diocese of Bangor.

I would like to offer a huge word of thanks to Canon Pauline Walker, as she relinquishes her role as Convenor of the Retired clergy Association.  Pauline has done a great deal to maintain this fellowship, and this has been a very welcome ministry to all the retired clergy of the diocese.

Diary and Events                                    

The diary below includes all those fixed dates for events that clergy are required to attend as part of their professional commitment, together with those opportunities to build up our common life by supporting significant moments for our colleagues.  Please ensure that these dates are in your diary, even where the exact format may be open to change.  Where a clash comes to your attention, please raise it with Esgobty at the earliest opportunity.

Please note the dates of Confirmations in the diary.  All candidates are welcome at any of the Confirmations, and this sacramental rite is an important occasion to welcome those who are becoming active in their discipleship.  In many ways I believe that the number coming to Confirmation are the real and best indicator of growing the life of the Church.

This month

03 March            The Licensing of Andrea de Vaal Horciu, St Peter’s Holywell, 1500hr.

17 March            Estuary and Mountain MA Confirmation service, St Mary & St David Flint, 1100hr

28 March          Chrism Eucharist, Cathedral, 1100hr

30 March            Easter Vigil, Cathedral, 1900hrs

In future

04 May               Festal Eucharist for St Asaph, Cathedral, with admissions to the Order of St Asaph, and celebration of ordination anniversaries 1100hr

19 May               Pentecost Confirmation at the Cathedral, 1530hr.

25 May               Licensed Lay Ministry AGM with Licensing of Lay Ministers, Cathedral, 1200hrs

(All LLMs are expected to attend and renew their licences)

25 June               The Hellins Lecture, Cathedral, 19.15hr (see below)

29 June             Petertide Ordination (Deacons and Priests), Cathedral, 1000hr

19 September   Clergy Synod for all serving clergy, in person, location to be decided

17 October         Diocesan Conference online session, time to be decided

19 October       Diocesan Conference, in person, venue and time to be decided

13 November    Mission Area Leader Training

The Hellins Lecture

We are delighted to welcome Archbishop Ian Ernest, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Personal Representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome as our Hellins Lecturer for 2024.  Archbishop Ian welcomes pilgrims and Anglicans from all over the world to Rome, and the Centre runs many courses, and other opportunities to become acquainted with the Eternal City.  The archbishop will lecture on the work of the Centre, and his work as Representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See, and we will be using the opportunity to launch a Welsh branch of the Friends of the Anglican Centre.

The 2024 Hellins Lecture will take place on Tuesday 25 June in the Cathedral at 1915hr.   Before the Lecture there will be a celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Cathedral at 1800hr for those who would like to attend, and the Lecture itself will be preceded by light refreshments served in the South Transept from 18.45hr.  Please make every effort to join us by securing the date in your diaries now.  The evening will also be an opportunity for the Church in Wales to affirm formally its support for the work of the Anglican Centre in Rome, and it would be excellent to see a good crowd.

 Beunydd gyda Duw : Daily with God

I am delighted to be able to draw your attention to what I believe is a very helpful and convenient new publication from the Church in Wales – a daily prayer manual called Beunydd gyda Duw : Daily with God. Fully bilingual, this small volume provides an introduction to daily prayer, and includes short forms of morning, evening and night prayer, together with many prayers central to the Christian tradition.  It includes some of the pastoral services recently authorized by the Bench of Bishops, and is intended to assist all Christian disciples in their endeavour to establish a pattern of daily prayer.  It will also slip into a bag or case and can be used to travel.  At £12.99 it can make a great present for young Christians, confirmation candidates and marrying couples.  It can be ordered at https://www.ylolfa.com/products/9781800995703/beunydd-gyda-duw-llawlyfr-gweddi-ddyddiol-daily-with-god-a-daily-prayer-manual

Notes and Queries

Apprenticeships

At September’s Synods, you were given important information about this new opportunity to work with St Padarn’s, the diocese and Welsh Government to sponsor a young person to obtain a year’s work experience and Christian ministry qualification, which could run between September 2024 and August 2025.  Further copies of this material can be obtained from Pam Powell as Director of Ministry.  As a scoping exercise, we need to find out how many apprenticeships we could sponsor next year, and so it is important that all those interested return the “Expression of Interest” forms that we distributed as soon as possible.  So far, there have been only a few expressions of interest, so please consider what might be possible.

Permission to Officiate

It is crucial that retired clerics recognize the fact that when they withdraw from public ministry, and surrender Permission to Officiate, this means that they are not eligible for “one-off” Permissions to Officiate on an occasional basis.  They are still welcome to assist another licensed cleric at occasional offices and elsewhere but otherwise require a permanent triennial Permission to Officiate, with the attending DBS checks and Safeguarding Training.   Where PTO is not held, permission cannot be given to requests to preside or officiate at single services, no matter how close the connection, as the necessary safeguarding checks will have lapsed.

The Pocket Testament League

The PTL have resources to help us easily share the good news of Jesus this Easter. From Sunday services to community egg hunts, how many people could you share the Gospel with this Easter? Let PTL know and they’ll send you an Easter Gospel sharing kit.  Their pocket-sized Gospels and Easter booklets include copies of the Gospel of John and of a booklet called ‘The Week That Changed The World’ booklets, for which I’m responsible, which offer a unique presentation of the Easter story compiled from the accounts in each of the Gospels.  For more information and ordering details please visit: The Pocket Testament League: Limited Offer (ptluk.org)

 Safeguarding Sunday

Safeguarding Sunday this year takes place on Sunday 17 November. This is an opportunity to raise safeguarding awareness within our churches, demonstrating our commitment to being a Safe Church, fostering an environment where everyone can worship and participate in the life of the church in safety. The Christian safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight coordinates this campaign, and provides digital church resource packs that can provide you with everything you need to plan and run your service. These are available when you register with them at https://thirtyoneeight.org/get-involved/safeguarding-sunday/

The Church in Wales is committed to provide a safe, happy, and supportive environment of mission and ministry in which all God’s people can grow and develop in their Christian commitment.

Find out more about our policy and training: https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/clergy-and-members/safeguarding/